ENDING CHILD LABOR IN AGRICULTURE WITH THE HELP OF AGRICULTURAL STAKEHOLDERS
Labor is an inseparable component of agriculture. Every stage; subsistent or commercial requires the service of a man.
Who is “a child”? Legal definition, according to the National Welfare Policy of 1989 defines a child as anybody who is twelve years (12) or below
Wikipedia presents age-related development periods and intervals as follows: Newborn (ages 0-4 weeks); Infants (ages 4 weeks-1year); Toddlers (ages 12 months -24 months); Prescholars (ages 2-5 years); School aged (ages 6-13 years) and Adolescents (ages 14-19 years).
Article 1 of the convention on the rights of the child by WHO, 1989 defines “A child” as human being below the age of eighteen (18) years.
The United Nations Convention of on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) also corroborates by defining a child as everyone under the age of eighteen (18).
From the foregoing, it can be said that anyone from age eighteen (18) and below is “A Child”. Therefore, involving any of such categories in farm activities as labor violates the right of a child.
Why do people engage children as labor in agriculture? Historically, family used to be the primary source of farm labor in Africa; and success of many farmers was often determined by the number of family members participating in planting, harvesting, packing and sales of produce irrespective of age. Farmers in some Western parts of Africa raised many children basically for that purpose. Feeding was never a problem.
They did this probably to reduce cost and increase production and these are my own perspectives. Ending child labor totally in agriculture may not be realistic across board as long as the reasons for which it happens still persist. Considering the current global crises, economic meltdown and the impact of the dreaded Covid 19 pandemic, it may be exaggerating to completely eradicate child involvement in agriculture across board for obvious reasons.
However, Stakeholder’s recognition of the rights of a child and the need to protect it adequately would be prestigious. Also, policies that will reduce poverty among farmers and enable then do more without the need of childs’ involvement are required from government all level.
It is also important to make agricultural practices “SMART” through digitalization of labor-dependent operations such as: picking, sorting, lifting, and cleaning among others especially those into which minors are employed.
Quality and affordable education for children, insurance for farmers, security of life, property and safety, development of smart technology for production, processing and storage as well as local content assurance would go long way mitigating child labor and provision of good primary health care facilities for the vulnerables should be prioritized by policy makers.
I started accompanying my late parents who were low income earners to farm since the age of ten. It was tedious but I had no choice. I decided to do it in a better way when I grow up and chose to study agriculture at the University. Experiences of twenty years as farming professional have shown that every participant in agriculture is vulnerable to abuse and their rights have to be adequately protected.
Thank you!
Lawal, Musibau Olajire
Nigeria
السيد Lawal Musibau Olajire